Waking Up In Vegas
by Rachel Noelle
Summary: A group of five Shinigami and one Arrancar are sent to Vegas for a mission. What sort of trouble can they get in while in Sin City? IchiNel RukiHana HitsuMatsu --- Now up: Hitsugaya and Rangiku's story.
1. Opening The Floor

_**A/N:** First off, **I'd like to thank kyokoaurora** for her help acting as my beta and trying to be unbiased in my decision of IchiHime or IchiNel, **and SoaringHellButterfly** for giving me a second opinion on whether to use IchiHime or IchiNel, as well as critique. If you all are more inclined to like IchiHime, I have that written out as well, and would be happy to post it elsewhere. I've chosen IchiNel as the story seems to fit better around Nel. _

_Typically, I prefer IchiRuki, but I wanted to have RukiHana in this story. As most of my fics, this began as a simple HitsuMatsu, and will include them as the majority of the story (ask SoaringHellButterfly, I mean majority). However, I've decided to include the IchiNel and RukiHana stories with thier's. I you dislike a pairing, it is plenty easy to skip over their story. I do encourage you to read the little "in between" scenes, though. 8-)_

_Inspired by Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas" I hope you enjoy! I would love to have your thoughts, ideas, and critique. I won't beg/demand reviews, but I would love to have them! Please enjoy, and, this is my first 'published' attempt at 'lemons,' so any suggestions there are most appreciated.  
-Rachel Noelle_

* * *

Unohana looked to the soutaicho with an expression mixing surprise and knowing. His mouth and eyes were open wide, his entire body showing how stunned he was by this news. He'd only sent them out for a three week mission. Hell, he knew it would only take about four days, and wanted to let them have something of a holiday, especially the young prodigy. And, this is the kind of trouble they get into?

The group – consisting of Kuchiki Rukia, Kurosaki Ichigo, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Matsumoto Rangiku, Yamada Hanataro, and at Rukia's request, the Arrancar turned shinigami Neliel Tu – was dispatched seven weeks ago now. Immediately upon their return, they had been sent out again for patrol in the living world. Karakura Town was still under constant surveillance, and their group often volunteered, being most familiar with the territory, thanks to Kurosaki. But now here they all stood, looking just as confused as the others in the room.

"Can someone please explain just what has happened?" Yamamoto's voice boomed out. He didn't intend to intimidate, his voice was just loud. He looked to each of the group, noticing for the first time the rings on their fingers. How did he miss that?

Hitsugaya, being a taicho, stepped forward, bowing low in respect for his elder. "Sir, if I may?"

"Please do, Hitsugaya taicho. I would like a proper explanation for this." Yamamoto was actually more amused than anything. When Hitsugaya sent him a message, saying there were some minor, problematic issues this was the last thing he'd expected.

"I will take full responsibility for any damage this causes to the squads. It was upon my insistence that we separated to begin with, and therefore, the resulting punishment should be placed upon me and me alone. Also, it is to the best of my knowledge that there is no law against our… actions."

"Oh, shut up would you? Quit trying to act all noble and shit, Toshiro," Ichigo cut in, looking accusingly to the young taicho. "Look, old man, it wasn't his fault. We shoulda known better than to do something so… irrational our own selves."

"He's right," interjected Rukia, looking timid but stern. "We really should have thought things through more, but, we didn't, and we are prepared to accept full responsibility for what has happened. I have spoken with the Kuchiki household, and Nii-sama has agreed to assist in any way he can. I ask that you allow us to work through those particular issues ourselves, please sir."

There was a long pause in which the group fidgeted around, trying to decide if they should try to make a run for it or not. Maybe if they fled Soul Society, at least they could take up residence in the human world, hopefully with their lives still intact.

Finally, Yamamoto spoke. "There are no charges to be brought against you, as I have no evidence to support any wrongdoing that would put the Gotei 13 at risk. However, you will all be placed in counseling for two months, to insure that you do, indeed, understand the responsibility you will be taking and what this means for your position as leaders," he paused and looked to Hitsugaya and Rangiku, both of whom had the decency to look abashed, "and members of my squads. Furthermore, I demand that you each explain your case, else I may be inclined to look further into this."

The group nodded nervously. No one felt inclined to be the first to break the ice, but, Nel was the first to gain her bearings about her enough to volunteer.

She and Ichigo told their story, leaving out the… undesirable details (to most of the others in the room). As the taichos and fukutaichos watched and listened, eyes grew wide and mouths hung open. The Gotei 13 had never had so much juicy gossip at once. The talk about this would never die.

Nel cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Well, I guess we got into trouble when…"


	2. Arrancar Can Do That?

_**A/N:** Let the crack begin! I have offered only one minor speculation, and one that will probably never even enter Kubo Tite's head to use. It would be a breaking of the rules of Soul Society, to have an Arrancar working for them. But, please enjoy, I had fun writing this and I hope you have at least as much fun reading. 8-)_

_-Rachel Noelle_

* * *

All she really remembered was waking up, kind of hazy, and being shoved into a restroom and handed more clothes. She had been given some sort of liquid a few days prior, and apparently it healed her hollow mask so that she was able to return to her original form. Then, after meeting with some of the taichos and Ichigo, she was asked if she could find any reason to serve Seireitei. She agreed, and then began training in some of the Shinigami battle techniques. As it turned out, she was quite skilled at healing kidos, and recruited to the fourth division. In all honesty, she could not have been happier.

She and Ichigo split off from the group, both still unsure why they were even allowed and desired to accompany the others for this particular mission. Considering Hitsugaya had watched Matsumoto take out half of the threat by herself (not even releasing Haineko), and even Hanataro managed to take down a few, it was a rather easy mission. So, for the remainder of their time, Hitsugaya allowed them to do as they pleased, as long as there wasn't too much commotion caused, and they stayed on constant alert.

The split worked as thus: Rukia and Hanataro, since he was a healer, and though she was good with kido, she was more of a fighter. Ichigo was told to go with Nel, on the grounds that even if he knew the kido spells, he couldn't perform them. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto formed the last group, as they had pretty equal qualifications and could heal one another if necessary. (Looking back, Hitsugaya was glad he'd split their group up as he did. He and Matsumoto weren't the only ones to act like idiots.)

So, Ichigo was wandering the streets of Las Vegas with Nel. How they'd ended up in Sin City was the biggest of their unanswered questions. Such an unusual place to need the help of shinigami. However, Matsumoto swiped some false IDs from the twelfth before they left. So, they were now intent on trying out some of the things Vegas had to offer. At least the gigai Nel was given disguised her mask from humans.

"Where do you think we should try next?" Ichigo posed the question of the hour.

"I dunno. What sounds fun? We've been to the one that looks like a castle, and the pyramid shaped one, then the one with the pirate show and the other with the pretty show girls…" Nel verbalized the list of the hotels, resorts, and casinos they'd come across. Luckily, they seemed to have been given a large enough stipend to support their renting a hotel room, and between the two of them they remembered to bring enough money to allow for everything else.

Ichigo saw a building that caught his attention, and pointed it out to Nel. "How about that one? Maybe we can find out what's so special about this Elvis guy while we're there?" Nel agreed and they made the thirty minute trek by foot to their new destination.

After they'd been there for some time, which they promptly lost track of, they started consuming the drinks they were offered. In his drunken stupor, Ichigo began flirting with a waitress. Though Nel was a bit unhappy about it all, she ignored what she could and laughed when the waitress accepted the tip he handed her and made a quick getaway. If he hadn't slurred his English to utter crap, he might have stood a better chance. With his scowl gone, thanks to the effect of the alcohol, he really was quite good-looking.

"Bah, I didn't like her anyway," Ichigo turned to Nel, slipping back into his native Japanese with her familiarity. "You're much prettier, anyway, Nel."

Nel was unsure what to make of it. She liked Ichigo, she would even go so far as to say she loved him, but, this was uncharacteristic. Now, he was flirting with her. "Do you really think so?" she queried, smiling brightly, trying not to sound overconfident but politely modest.

"I do," he leaned closer to her, "Why don't we go to our room? The lights in here are too bright." he suggested. If she'd not had as much liquor herself (and this American stuff was nothing like the sake she'd tried a few times before. Some of it was smooth as butter when it went down) she might have seen the absurdity and the obvious state of inebriation both were in. As it stood, though, neither really took that into account. If they did something stupid, they'd just deal with it when they weren't so drunk.

They made their way to the room they'd rented, this resort being much lower key and less pricey than many they'd encountered. Ichigo ordered a bottle of some sort of champagne from the bellboy on the way up in the elevator. By the time they made it half-way to their floor, Ichigo had his arms wrapped protectively around Nel, head resting on her shoulder and glaring at the bellboy.

"Very lovely girlfriend you've got there, sir," the bellboy commented, smiling politely to Ichigo and Nel.

"Damn right," was all Ichigo's inebriated mind could come up with.

"Ichigo, remember your manners," Nel, mind fuzzy, scolded Ichigo playfully then blushed prettily as she politely thanked the bellboy.

"I'll have your champagne up in just a few moments," the bellboy smiled, obviously entertained by Ichigo and Nel.

After the bellboy brought their things and left them again, Ichigo, trying to be smooth, poured them both a glass and attempted to be romantic about it. "A pretty drink for a prettier lady," he commented, to which Nel blushed again.

"Oh, Kurosaki. You're too kind," Nel replied, wondering just what Ichigo wanted.

"That's never going to work, Nel. You shouldn't call me just 'Kurosaki' if I'm going to go around as your boyfriend," Ichigo stated, looking hurt.

"Do you want to be my boyfriend?" Nel asked, voice laughing and teasing. She was just a bit bewildered by the whole situation. But, hey. A girl doesn't turn down a chance for something she's wanted for a long time.

"Well, duh," Ichigo responded, all thought of romance gone out the window.

"Alright then, Ichigo." Nel smiled. Within seconds their glasses were forgotten on the table as Ichigo pressed his lips to hers, sending an electric shock through both their bodies.

"You know, Nel, I think I might not only like you, but maybe I love you, too." Ichigo backed her up to a bed as he trailed kisses down her neck and over the very little exposed skin of her collarbone. She repaid the favor in kind. He trailed his hands under the hem of her top, caressing the skin of her stomach lightly, slowly following those caresses with kisses.

When he started tugging her shirt up and attempted to remove it, she stopped him. "Ichigo, I don't… I don't think I want to do that yet." Though not a stranger to sex, she wanted her next experience to be in wedlock, for the guarantee that marriage promised. She didn't think she could bear her heart broken like that again.

"Huh? Why not?" he looked confusedly to her, wondering what could be causing a problem.

"I'd just kind of like to… be married, first," Nel looked nervous, as if afraid he might abandon her in the hotel room after all.

"Oh. Well… then let's get married. I hear you can do it here in about an hour. All we gotta have are our IDs," Ichigo suggested.

"But, Ichigo, isn't it a bit soon?" Nel didn't dislike the idea. Far from it. But, was that not a bit illogical?

"Too soon? We've known each other for years. Unless you don't love me? After I drug you around in Hueco Mundo, and all the help you gave me, I thought it was because you loved me…" Ichigo pouted. That was hitting below the belt, but neither Nel nor Ichigo cared in their current state.

"Of course I love you. I've loved you for years. I just didn't think you'd want to get married so soon. We were just discussing you being my boyfriend a bit ago." Despite her best attempts to the contrary, Nel looked alarmed.

"Oh, well. But, do you wanna? Then we can have all kinds of fun," Ichigo placed emphasis on a few key words, desire underlining each word spoken, "And I think they have a chapel here, and we can pick whatever we want. We can even have that Elvis guy we heard about marry us."

One thing led to another, and soon Ichigo and Nel were standing in front of someone dressed as a knight from the medieval ages, pronouncing them husband and wife. "You may kiss the Bride," the man announced, and Ichigo did.

Ichigo carried Nel in his arms, like a proper groom should carry his bride, all the way to their room (thank god for elevators, because forty flights of stairs is quite a bit). Their faces never left one another's for more than a few moments until they reached the room.

Ichigo made short, but sweet, work of the silvery dress Nel purchased. She, too, made short work of Ichigo's slacks and crisp, white shirt. Still being quite intoxicated, he fumbled around a bit with her bra before he managed to unhook it and discard it. When she was so exposed, although only to her new husband, Nel flushed.

"Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous," Ichigo muttered, more to himself but loud enough for Nel to hear. He set to work promptly teasing her nipples with his tongue, teeth and hands. She gave in quickly to the pleasure, moaning softly. Her noises spurred Ichigo on, his mouth still teasing her nipples, and he moved his hands lower.

Before Nel could say anything, his fingers found her center and began massaging lightly. Trying to get used to the new sensation, she called his name softly a few times. "Oh, Ichigo. What… what are you… doing that… feels so good?" she gasped. This was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.

Rather than reply verbally, he removed her still in place panties and released the hold his mouth had on her nipples. "I always wanted to try this," he remarked, smirking, before lowering his head between her thighs and using his mouth in accompaniment with his fingers. Nel could barely breathe for panting so hard, the feelings he conjured in her as exciting as the first snow, or as thrilling as your first roller coaster ride.

In only moments, he brought Nel to her first orgasm, as she fisted her hands in his hair, trying not to pull too hard. He continued drinking her in, admiring her taste and proud of his accomplishment. He moved to hover atop her, capturing her lips in a kiss again, and allowed her a few moments rest before she grew tired of waiting and removed the only article of clothing barring the way for their ultimate goal.

Nel stroked him a few times, bringing him to fullness and admiring his size. He took her easily, and she experienced such a thrill of excitement at having him inside her. After only a moment for her body to adjust to the feelings and sensations, as well as his, he slowly began moving inside her. Her last lover left innumerable qualities to be desired compared to this sense of fulfillment.

Almost instantly they fell into synch with one another, moving together with unbelievable ease, as if a dance they'd practiced with one another for years. Nel wrapped her legs around Ichigo's waist, trying to draw him closer. Willing to comply, Ichigo thrust deeper as she moved to meet him, generating the friction they so desired.

"Oh… Ichi… Ichigo!" she called his name to the heavens.

Though he was not so verbal, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, panting and gasping for breath just as heavily, "Oh, god, Nel…"

They released together, calling the other's name in ecstasy, his seed spilling deep inside her. He lay propped on his elbows atop her, head resting on her chest until both had regained a less hectic breathing pattern. When he pulled from her and lay beside her, she cried a few happy tears as she cuddled up to him.

When both awoke the next morning, naked bodies entwined together, the only thought entering either one's mind was "What happened?"

"Ichigo… what did we do?" Nel asked, knowing the answer but fearing that something terrible would happen.

Ichigo colored crimson. "We… got married… and then we… made love."

After a long moment of uneasy silence, Nel spoke. "Do you… regret it? Our getting married?" Nel looked about to cry, and those tears promised to be unhappy.

"What? No, of course not. Maybe it was a bit… irrational to get married, but, we'll work through it, right?" Ichigo comforted his new wife, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug.

Nel cheered up considerably. "Right. But, I think I need a shower," blushing lightly, she called teasingly over her shoulder as she paused in the bathroom door, "Care to join me?"

Their last days in Vegas they spent in mostly in their room. They'd decided to tell Ichigo's family and their friends all at the same time, maybe with a party. Nel just hoped Ichigo's father and sisters wouldn't be too unhappy about the abruptness of the wedding. And prayed that no one would criticize an Arrancar marrying a Shinigami.

Though, if Ichigo's family was too unhappy about being unable to attend, maybe they could have another ceremony?


	3. Change Of Speakers

"Wow. Nanao-chan and I will have to try that sometime. I envy you, Kurosaki. Such an interesting way to bring a woman into your arms. Nana-o-o," Shunsui turned to face his fukutaicho, who was blushing heavily at his unvoiced implications. Seeking revenge, she quickly thumped her fan on his head, wishing she'd remembered her book.

"That is a most unusual tale, indeed," agreed Juushiro.

"Bah, ya could'a done better 'n that, Ichigo. Retsu and I done worse than that just last week," Zaraki huffed, covering Yachiru's ears as he spoke. Yachiru, who accidentally got a dose of the same medicine given to Nel, with the same sort of results, fought against his restraint.

"Ken-chan! I'm old enough to know that sort of thing," her five foot tall figure fussed, harrumphing indignantly (she now stood taller than Hitsugaya, who was quite unhappy about it).

"I just don't wantcha getting' no ideas. Hime-taicho can come up with enough on his own, I'm sure." Zaraki's protective and humored mood turned a bit sour at that thought.

"Fine. I'll just ask Byakushi. He doesn't hold anything back from me," Yachiru huffed, striding up to Byakuya and latching onto him. Byakuya looked fearfully to Zaraki. He fought the man once to earn the right to date his daughter, and dear god, he didn't want to fight him again. It was one of those unwritten, unspoken rules of dating and courtship. You just didn't blurt out to the father of your girlfriend that you were sleeping together. That was suicide. Especially in Byakuya's case.

"That was rather an enlightening story, though," Unohana spoke up. "I would like to know what happened to my timid seventh seat, though. He actually beat up Ayasegawa last night for insulting his healing ability. What has become of my dear Hanataro?" Zaraki thought he might die laughing. He'd never seen Yumichika so upset after a fight.

"Erm, well, you see, Taicho," Hanataro mumbled, bowing and keeping his head low.

Rukia and Hanataro told their story, Rukia continually casting glances to Byakuya, hoping he did not wish her ill for her actions. Somehow Yachiru seemed to have lightened his usual mood by tenfold, and he had previously agreed to be supportive. She just hoped he'd continue thinking so after this.

"Well, we eagerly await your explanations, Kuchiki Hanataro," Yamamoto couldn't help but snicker when he saw the shock on Byakuya's face. Apparently they conveniently skipped that part of their explanation.

"Yes, sir," said Rukia, bowing politely, "It started like this…"


	4. The New Kuchiki

_**A/N:** Do you want the HitsuMatsu story all posted at the same time (all four chapters?) or do you want half of it, then the other? Or is that just a stupid question where you're going "Um, all of it. Duuuuuuh!" Lol. Eh, enjoy Rukia and Hanataro's story, yes? Please read and review!!_

_-Rachel Noelle_

* * *

Hanataro was so nervous he thought he might shake himself to death. He wondered if there'd ever been any incident of death from nerves on record in the fourth division. He made a mental note to ask Unohana if he survived.

It wasn't so much that the situation was nerve wracking, even if being in a city deemed "Sin City" terrified him. It was the fact that when the larger group split up he'd been assigned to go with Rukia, and, well, the idea of that sent a pleasurable shiver of nerves down his spine. She stood about his height (which was next to impossible to find in a girl) and he'd as good as fallen in love with her when he spent those days cleaning her cell. For someone of a noble status, she was quite kind as well as beautiful.

Rukia may have been able to hold her own with sake, especially when you took into consideration her size and the amount of sake she could drink, but she was still a lightweight. Hanataro really had never been given the chance to drink any, much less learn his limits. But, when you mixed seven different types of common American liquors with two alcohol-weak shinigami, you ended up with a beyond wasted Rukia and Hanataro.

Currently, they were in a club learning to dance 'properly.' A woman about twenty-three or so approached them, looking to Hanataro lecherously. For some reason Rukia couldn't name, she was unhappy with the approaching woman.

"Hi there," the woman greeted Hanataro, feigning shyness. "I'm Raegan."

Hanataro took a few moments to realize what the woman was saying, his English being much worse than Ichigo or the others, who'd had the study in school or were naturally gifted (like Hitsugaya. Sometimes Hanataro envied him, as he was barely older than himself). "Ano, my name is Hanataro," he finally managed. He looked a bit worried.

"Ha-na-ta-ro?" the woman queried. Hanataro nodded. Rukia, watching the exchange unhappily, interrupted them in their native tongue to tell Hanataro she was going for another drink.

Raegan looked like she might back off after Rukia's display, but obviously decided against it as she engaged Hanataro in light conversation and pulled him, quite reluctant, back onto the dance floor.

Rukia found herself a drink and then wandered to the restroom. After having a pee, she stood in front of the mirror, trying not to cry. She was glaring at herself. Hanataro wasn't her property, nor even close to a boyfriend. Why was she crying like this? Women of her stature did not cry. She was nobility, dammit.

Deciding she could use some fresh air, she stepped out a back door of the club. Wiping the unshed tears from her eyes, and the few she couldn't hold back from her cheeks, she nearly ran head-first into two other women, both looking just barely old enough to be in that kind of club anyway. She muttered an apology as she took a step back.

"Hey, I recognize you," the first said. "You're the one Raegan's trying to steal the boyfriend of. She's a real bitch, you know?" she turned to her friend, sharing a sympathetic look.

"She really is," the second commented, a look of disgust crossing her face. "She's only using the cute boy. One of these days it'll be the other way around. I hope I'm around to see that."

"Agreed. She deserves it. Say," the first turned to Rukia, "I'm Brianna, what's your name?"

"I'm Rukia," she managed, looking unsure of the situation. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Kaylee. You know, if I were you, I'd go claim what's yours before she gets too far."

"But, he's not really mine," at least Rukia's English wasn't as bad off as Hanataro's.

"He's been drooling over you all night, any idiot can see that," said Brianna, giggling. "I wish Jonathan would look at me like that."

"You just wish he'd ask you home and dump that whore he's with," Kaylee teased her friend.

"Well, yeah. But I'd still like to have a guy drooling over me like that."

"Have you seen Caleb? Honestly, you must be blind. And he's gorgeous. I'd totally go for him," Kaylee seemed to be on a roll tonight. "But, Rukia, you really should go in there. We'd love to see someone show Raegan who's boss. The whore needs to be brought down."

A few more encouraging words from her newfound friends later, Rukia found herself marching in the door to the club and looking furiously for Hanataro, her friends following a few steps behind cheering her on. She wondered just why she was doing this anyway, but she'd made up her mind. And she did not pass up a chance to prove herself.

When she found the object of her affections dancing with the girl named Raegan, which she agreed with the others about, even if she didn't fully understand their slang terms, she approached, letting her reiatsu flare slightly. Just because these fools didn't know what it was didn't mean they didn't recognize the palpable murderous intent coming from Rukia.

Hanataro noticed Rukia's approach and immediately stopped his dancing, not unwillingly, either. He dropped into a low bow, shaking lightly from nerves. "Rukia-san," he greeted.

Half of Rukia's mind wondered why the hell she was doing this, while the other half that was drowned in alcohol cheered her on. She took the last few strides to Hanataro, quite easily as the crowd literally split when they felt her approach and were watching curiously, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. In a matter of milliseconds she pressed her lips harshly to his, forcing him into a searing kiss hot enough to make him pass out from excitement.

"You are mine, and if you say otherwise I will kill you," she threatened as her lips left his. He gasped for a quick intake of oxygen.

Hanataro thought the threat was a bit… unorthodox, but something about the tone of her voice made him weak in the knees. The lust and desire heavily laced into the threat to harm anyone standing in the way of her and her prize really set him on edge. In a good way.

Though he was barely larger, and weaker in the fighting sense, he picked Rukia up as she wrapped her legs around his middle and forced their way through the crowd, ignoring the cheers and jeers from those around. Poor Raegan was left in a cloud of despair. Before she could do anything to rectify the injustice of the situation thrown to her, Hanataro was out the door and back in the motel room with Rukia. He took a few moments to rub a hand lightly over the love marks on his neck and chest after he set her down on one of the beds in the room.

"Sit," Rukia demanded, standing and forcing Hanataro onto the bed himself. "Remove them." This time she pointed to Hanataro's clothes, and he grew panicked.

"But, Ru-Ruki-Rukia-san, shouldn't we, since you-you're a- a- noble and all- shouldn't we… be married first? What wil- will- what will Kuchiki t-tai-taicho have to say about this?" Hanataro managed to stammer.

Rukia just looked confused. "I want you, and I want you now," her eyes shown with a fire Hanataro had never seen before in anyone. When he refused to relent, she set to pouting. It worked for everyone else.

"Rukia-san, won't it cause trouble… if we… do _that_?" Hanataro blushed as he spoke. Amazingly, one inebriated mind was able to reason, however flawed that reasoning was, with the other.

"Ugh, fine. Let's go." Rukia stood and dragged Hanataro by the hand to the chapel in the motel. They may have chosen a not-so-excellent-choice-for-sleeping accommodation, but the chapel offered such a variety of rings and wedding themes that Rukia and Hanataro had nearly sobered up before they decided on one. To prevent that from happening, not altogether unknowingly, those organizing the weddings kept them refilled with champagne and wine.

They finally picked the Alice in Wonderland theme (Rukia squealed in delight over the rabbit). Minutes later they found themselves dressed as Alice and the White Rabbit. Even if the bunny ears made him look funny, Hanataro would do anything in his current state for his love. After the "Kiss the Bride" command was given, Rukia once again forced Hanataro into a searing kiss. He at least expected it this time.

They barely made it back to their room before she had him completely undressed, minus the bunny ears and tied on tail. "Mmm, I like it," Rukia told him, staring at his naked form and noticing just how big he was. She'd accidentally walked in on Ichigo and Renji a time or two, and none of her diluted memories of those incidences compared with her fascination with Hanataro. She shoved him again to lie on the bed and sank immediately to pleasure him. The sensation being entirely new, feeling her mouth and warm, small hands wrapped around him, he moaned in delight several times. She gently teased him with her teeth and nails, fondling him as well.

His hands instinctively found her head, trying to force more contact between them. "Ru… ki… a…" he moaned out as she brought him to climax. She took in as much as she could, forcing herself not to gag and return it. Having never done that before, she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. She recovered quickly, hoping Hanataro wouldn't be overly upset that she simply couldn't take it all in.

She crawled up the bed, straddling Hanataro around his lower abdomen. She kissed him several more times before settling her head for her mouth to rest near his ear. "My turn," she whispered, sending another shiver down his spine. Rukia lay on her back, tugging at Hanataro's hand. He took the hint and propped himself above her. He shook slightly with nerves, the alcohol not having worn that aspect down enough yet.

Rukia sensed that she would have to show him what to do, not that she had too much experience in that aspect. She and Renji had fooled around some when they were younger, though, and she knew some about what felt good. "Hana-kun, try this," she placed one of his hands on a breast, knowing he could feel her hardened nipples beneath his fingers. "Rub it a little, don't be scared. Unless you bite me it's not going to hurt." She smiled as her eyes caught Hanataro's, both sets blazing with unfulfilled desire, love, and lust.

Hanataro let his body relax and began rubbing his thumb lightly over her nipples. Rukia hummed in pleasure, grinning at Hanataro. She forced his hands to the hem of the short dress she wore, and encouraged him to remove it. Finally getting into the act, Hanataro trailed his fingers up her legs as he tugged the dress up and over her thighs. He revealed a pair of soft pink panties and flushed anew. Determined to keep his grip on what he was supposed to be focusing on he continued tugging the dress and teasing the newly exposed skin with each tug. He finally pulled the dress off of her, revealing her breasts, not over large in themselves, barely contained in a bra to match her panties.

Unable to help himself, Hanataro stared. Rukia's breasts, from what he could tell of other women, barely compared with those of the ladies he was most familiar with in his division, much less someone like Matsumoto or Nel. But, he found he liked them very much. "I think they're just the right size for me," he told her. She kissed him again, again taking his hands and moving them to her nipples. The material of the bra she wore was feather light, and her peaking nipples were prominent. He massaged the skin through the thin material with his thumbs.

"Take it off," she leant up and whispered in his ear. Hanataro looked shocked, but obeyed the command. He slipped a hand behind her back and fumbled with the clasp. By the time he removed the thing he was blushing a deep shade of crimson. Rukia thought it was cute. Any other male would have ravished her by now. Recalling some of the things he'd overheard from various men in the infirmary he decided to try kissing and licking her nipples. It resulted in an initial squeal of delight followed by several moans and a few pants of his name.

Spurred on by Rukia's noises, Hanataro trailed his fingers, kisses, tongue, over all of Rukia's exposed skin above her waistline. "Hana-kun… move lower… please," she begged, wanting the feeling only he could give her. Again she placed his hands, this time at the waistband of the pink material blocking their path. He took the hint and teased her a bit as he pulled the obtrusive material down her legs and disposed of them on the floor. Experimentally, the alcohol finally settling his nerves, he tried a finger at her center. She gasped in surprise and moaned lustfully as he pushed into her and began moving it around a bit. He was surprised at the amount of moisture there, and decided it was a bit troublesome. He stopped his kisses of her abdomen and placed his head between her thighs.

Instinctively Rukia spread her legs and tried to find something to do with her hands. She settled for fisting one in Hanataro's hair and the other in the sheets of the bed. Hanataro's bravery continued increasing as he suckled on the nub of her center, inserting another finger to aid the first. In what seemed too short a moment for his curiosity, she peaked and nearly screamed his name, bringing a proud smile to his face. Maybe he could get used to this after all.

Without much preamble, she grabbed him and stroked him to hardness again. Rukia was admiring his member and barely had time to prepare herself before her lover pushed himself into her. It was a small but pleasurable pressure, as he fitted her perfectly. He barely restrained himself long enough for her to adjust and beckon for more.

"Oh… oh… Hana-kun… keep doing… that," Rukia panted, trying to pull him into a kiss again but unable to for such irregular breathing. She began tracing her fingers up and down his back, already feeling her climax build. He forced her legs to spread further as he thrust into her to the hilt. Not receiving the feeling she desired, she forced them to turn, so that Hanataro lay on his back and she sat atop him.

She continued moving, forcing the closeness between their bodies she so desired. From instinct, he placed his hands on her hips as she moved. He admired her bouncing breasts before deciding to pull her down and suckle them. He teased the flesh of one breast with his mouth, the other with a hand. His free hand he placed again at the nub between her thighs, rubbing furiously. He felt his own climax rising and wanted Rukia to join. "Hana… I think I'm…com-" she wheezed.

"Me… too… oh, god… Rukia… I love you," he managed. With another near scream of his name, she peaked. The force of her walls tightening around him brought his own climax, forcing him to spill deep inside her. They stayed lying together, joined, for minutes after the force of the storm passed. After their breathing stabilized, Rukia finally got the last kiss she'd tried for.

He pulled out of her after breaking the kiss, sad to break the enjoyable connection but realizing it would have to happen sometime. She curled into him as he pulled the covers up around them and they drifted off into peaceful sleep.

The next morning couldn't be described as awkward, just uncertain. Hanataro woke first and, trying to decipher how much he'd dreamt and how much was fact, took a good look around the room. The clock on the mantle read noon-thirty, and the proof of the marriage rested on the small table in the room, framed for the world to see, not to mention the small woman wrapped tightly around his body. A light knock sounded on the door and Hanataro pulled on the first pair of his pants he saw before making his way to answer it.

A large woman stood outside the door, holding several small packages in her hands. She held one out to Hanataro, stating, "I have a package here for Mr. and Mrs. Ku-chi-ki?" she looked a bit confused about the pronunciation of the name.

"I'll take it," Hanataro managed. The woman went on her way as soon as the package was in Hanataro's hands. He turned the package over, wondering what the contents were and how Rukia convinced him to take her name.

He lay back on the bed beside the still sleeping Rukia, mind wondering what to do next, and opened the package. Inside were the photos from the night before. He was admiring a particularly nice photo of them in their wedding attire, focused on Rukia and her short blue dress and apron, when Rukia stirred and sat up. She looked around confused for a moment before the memories of the night before came back to her.

"Hmm…" Rukia pointed to the photo currently displayed in Hanataro's hands, cooing, "My little Hana-kun makes such an adorable little bunny."

Despite himself he blushed at Rukia's compliment. "Erm, Rukia, how do we…" he trailed off, afraid to upset her.

"How do we explain this to everyone else?" she supplied, wondering the same. Hanataro nodded, and she continued on, thinking aloud. "Well, first we get that certificate changed. I'd rather be a Yamada than you be a Kuchiki. Though Nii-sama might be less pissed if we leave it… eh, that's up to you, though. Then we get to explain to Yamamoto what we've done. I suppose we should ask for a place together, right?"

Hanataro had no words to answer. "Will this cause a problem with your family, other than Kuchiki taicho, I mean?"

"Eh, who cares if it does? I've got you now, right?" Hanataro nodded shyly. Rukia embraced him tightly, naked forms pressing together and sending excited thrills through both bodies. "But, I think for now, let's just enjoy our time. Why don't we shower and then head out for a bite to eat?"

This time Hanataro beat Rukia to the chase. He had her against the wall of the shower stall, moaning in pleasure, before she could set the water temperature properly. Whoever said cold showers were good for relief never had one like that.


	5. Hitsugaya Fukutaicho Speaks

"Why, hell, if I'da known that's what it'd take ta get ya to toughen up, I'da set you with a chick earlier. Ya oughta come join my squad, kid," Zaraki commented. He was, to say the least, impressed with the severe change in demeanor of the young man.

"I'm afraid Hanataro-san is still better suited for my division, Kenpachi," Unohana smiled.

"I guess it don' matter, I'm gonna lose that argument anyway, ain't I?" Zaraki grumped to himself. Unohana smiled brightly and nodded.

"Would you care to volunteer for some experiments?" Mayuri spoke up, hopeful. It took all of four seconds for Komamura to throw him out and lock the door.

"Hanataro-san," Komamura turned to the nervous young man, "I think it a lovely story. I wish you the best with your new family."

"Yeah," Hisagi agreed, "I hope it all works out well in the end. I mean, you're a good person, so, ya know, you deserve some good in your life."

"Besides," Renji interrupted, earning a warning glare, which he ignored, from Byakuya, "She's a good choice for ya." When Renji said nothing further, Byakuya thought he might embrace the man for having learned some tact over the years.

Isane, Kiyone, Sentarou, Kira, and Nemu were making comments about how sweet the story was. Seems Nemu gained some emotional capacity when fed the same concoction as Nel and Yachiru.

"That… is so… sweet…" Soifon sobbed, drenching Ukitake's haori and kosode with her tears. Ukitake looked nervous. This was most definitely _not_ typical behavior for her. Maybe she was PMSing?

"If I may inquire, sirs, I would certainly like to know how Hitsugaya taicho was accepted as a twenty-one year old human, and allowed his part in this," Iba spoke, bowing low and praying Hitsugaya wouldn't kill him.

Rangiku spoke up for the first time. "Actually, that took some, erm, convincing on my part. And, well, after a night in a human jail on the grounds that they thought I was leading little boys astray…"

Hitsugaya played with the gold band on his finger. This was nerve wracking, but, if it was an order, he had no choice. Unless he wanted to lose his position. And well, he liked being on top of Rangiku, in more ways than one.

"We decided, sir, that after our night in jail, that, well, perhaps we should live for the moment a bit more?" Hitsugaya began, not sure he believed what happened yet.

"Well, get on with it. I wanna know more," encouraged Hinamori. "I bet Shiro-chan and Rangiku-san's is the sweetest of them all."

It may not have been the sweetest, but it was the wildest.

"Heh… hehehe…" Rangiku laughed nervously, scratching her head absently, "You could say that…"


	6. The Cat And The Dragon

_A/N: I was going to separate this into four sections, but decided I just couldn't do it. Word to the wise: Take a pee break now. 8-) It's almost 8400 words ahead. If you think I should split it up, let me know. I'll certainly try to convince myself that it would be easier for my dearest readers. 8-D The epilogue will be up tomorrow. I still want to tweak it some. _

_Please enjoy, read and review!!!  
-Rachel Noelle_

* * *

Of all the missions they'd ever been sent on, this one took the cake for strange. For any lengthy or dangerous mission where more than one shinigami was involved, it wasn't unusual for Yamamoto to send a fourth division healer with them. What was unusual was that he'd asked Ichigo to accompany them – them being Matsumoto, Hitsugaya, Hanataro, and Rukia – and he agreed. But what pushed it completely over the top was that Rukia insisted Nel be allowed to accompany them, and Yamamoto readily agreed. He mumbled something about two healers being better than one.

Hitsugaya decided the cards were against them from the beginning. Especially since they were being sent to "Sin City." Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Why the hell the US needed help from the shinigami, he didn't have a clue, but, orders were orders, right? Unfortunately.

It was scheduled as a three-week mission, and it took them four and a half days to complete. He had a sneaking suspicion Yamamoto wanted him on some sort of leave, since he'd rarely taken a day even for sickness. When he had, it usually meant he was unconscious.

Presently he stood outside the doors of a casino with Matsumoto. The security guard refused to believe her 'son' was twenty-one. According to the guard at the door, he barely looked thirteen. Hitsugaya fumed, and the warm desert air suddenly turned very cold and windy.

"Look, folks, I ain't letting anybody in that ain't old enough to be in here. Which your kid obviously ain't," the man said, voice gruff and unhappy.

Matsumoto was genuinely offended. "He is not my child! I'm not old enough to be a mother! At least not with a child his age. He's barely four years my junior." She turned her focus back to the guard. "Surely a nice man like yourself could understand that. I couldn't bear to expose a child of my own to something like this at such a young age. He's just a friend I went to high school with," she folded her arms under her breasts, enhancing them and pouting her fullest pout to the guard.

"Look, ma'am, I can let you in, but I can't let your friend there in. He's too young, and he's obviously got a fake ID. That's grounds for arrest. But…" he paused.

Matsumoto picked up on his train of thought and took things from there. "But since you're such a kind, strong man, and honorable, mmm, and good-looking," she winked suggestively to the man, "you'd be willing to let us in, anyway, right?" She fingered the collar of his shirt teasingly, pulling him forward and whispering lustfully.

Hitsugaya thought he might go to prison in the human world and then be executed in Soul Society for killing a human if the man so much as touched her.

Matsumoto's guise worked until the temperature around them plummeted. The guard looked at her warily. If she wasn't his mother, or his sister, was she one of these women who were going around telling all those little boys how much they loved them, leading them astray? How many teachers had he heard of doing that in the last three months alone? Pedophiles, all of them! And he intended to stop this one.

"Why don't you two come with me?" he asked. They looked mistrustful and stood their ground outside. He radioed one of his colleagues to place a call into the Las Vegas PD. He tried to keep them occupied until the police arrived. They arrived in minutes and cuffed two very unhappy shinigami. Matsumoto was fussing and ranting about how unjust it was for someone of her good looks to be handled so roughly, and Hitsugaya actually resorted to yelling and ranting himself. They were smart enough not to fight. Sadly, neither thought to use the memory modifier.

When the two unhappy shinigami were thrown roughly into a cell in the county jail, Matsumoto started crying. The jailers walked away, discussing what to do with 'the kid' leaving behind one very upset Matsumoto and a very unnerved Hitsugaya. The Matsumoto he knew didn't cry.

Matsumoto sank to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her head on them, crying silent tears. "I'm sorry, Taicho," she whispered. "This is all my fault. I should have known there'd be a problem, even with the IDs."

Hitsugaya sat beside her and embraced her awkwardly. "It's okay, Matsumoto," he tried to comfort her, "we're shinigami, we can get out of this. If we have to stage a couple of deaths…"

That set Matsumoto to giggling, and she found it nearly impossible to stop. One of the jailers came to their cell then, checking on them.

"Hey kid," he spoke gruffly, "The ID looks legit, but our examiner won't be here 'til the morning. That means you guys gotta stay here for the night."

Hitsugaya immediately stood, walking to the door. "What? Why the hell do we have to stay here tonight? If it's legitimate, which it is, you ought to let us go." He demanded their release, but the jailer just looked apologetically back to him.

"Sorry, kid. I know it's legit, but the 'expert' has to examine it, and he's currently stationed at a club on the other end of town. You know, orders and all." The jailer paused for a moment. "You guys hungry? Anything particular you'd like to eat? Since you're here and you shouldn't be, I'd be happy to go and fetch you some dinner. We've got every fast food chain you can think of, American, Asian takeout, Greek, Italian, you name it. Friend of mine from China recommends that Panda Express. They have pretty decent Asian food for a fast food joint."

"I'd like a bath, but I could settle for some burgers. How about you, Taicho?" Matsumoto decided. Dammit, if she wasn't getting out of here tonight, she was taking full advantage of the man's kindness. And she'd kick the fool who arrested them in the balls when she got out.

Hitsugaya shrugged. "I guess that's good enough for me. I am quite hungry myself."

The man disappeared and returned about half an hour later with a bag full of burgers and fries. Matsumoto and Hitsugaya enjoyed the greasy food, as it was a rare treat for them. It wasn't something you found in Soul Society, and you had to be lucky to get the chance to eat it in the human world.

Hitsugaya propped himself on the cot in the cell, his back against the wall. Matsumoto, unwilling to touch the dirty floor any more than she already had, used his lap for a pillow and fell asleep. Hitsugaya managed to doze, but the position he was in was far from comfortable for sleeping.

Early in the morning, the 'expert' came and declared Hitsugaya's ID legitimate, and they were released from their holdings, with an ample amount of apologies. Matsumoto only asked one favor. She wanted to know the name of the man who arrested them and where she could find him.

Needless to say, the security guard at the casino and the officer responsible for their arrest were suddenly taken down by a mysterious pain to the groin. The source was unidentifiable, so both were rushed to the emergency room. The result was the same. Upon the doctor's examination, it appeared as though, according to the bruise marks, someone had kicked them quite forcefully. Luckily, they didn't want more children.

Matsumoto and Hitsugaya found a nice hotel to stay in. They had two full weeks left for their time here. The only problem was that the rooms available and moderately priced had only one bed, and they didn't have enough money for two rooms. One room broke Hitsugaya's pocket book as it was. At least he was in charge of Matsumoto's money as well, else he feared they'd have been broke with the first big sale she came across.

Matsumoto drug Hitsugaya along to their room. He was unhappy and protested, saying he could find a roof somewhere to sleep on. The August evening would be plenty warm to keep him from getting sick. Matsumoto finally cast a binding kido on him so that she could carry him, arguing and threatening her all the way. He managed to break it as they reached their room, but Matsumoto had him cornered. Once glance at the bed and Hyourinmaru told him to "shut up and be fucking happy to sleep indoors."

They were both worn out from their night in a cold jail cell so they decided a nap was in order. Matsumoto stripped down to her undergarments and pulled a light tank on before crawling under the covers. She pulled the other half of the cover back and motioned for Hitsugaya to join her. After much coaxing from Hyourinmaru, in the likeness of, "Swallow your damn pride and take a nap. You're exhausted and pissy, and it's making me unhappy," Hitsugaya finally obliged. He refused to remove any article of clothing aside from his belt.

They both quickly fell asleep and Matsumoto instinctively cuddled into Hitsugaya. He woke first and nearly broke his neck trying to get away from her and to the shower. He enjoyed her touch, but he didn't want to risk any trouble. The best way to avoid trouble is to avoid what causes trouble. If he didn't have such trouble keeping his damnable hormones in check around her like this, he wouldn't have minded so.

He showered quickly and by the time he exited the bathroom she was waking up. She saw him standing in the doorway, the top of his body unclothed and covered with the condensation from the humidity and heat of the shower. That was her first indication that she'd died. And she was in heaven. So, since she was in heaven, she could say what she wanted, and it would be okay, right? Right.

"Wow, Taicho…" she continued staring at him lustfully. "You should go around without a shirt more often…"

Hitsugaya flushed a deep red and wrapped the towel in his hands around his shoulders. "Matsumoto! Just get yourself ready so we can find some food. I'm hungry."

So much for heaven. She got up from the bed and was instantly alert to the look he threw her way. She hadn't slept in her underwear and a tank for no reason. She pranced around the room, moving about to gather her things for a shower. When she finally disappeared behind the bathroom door, Hitsugaya sank onto the bed. He tried to cool himself down as much as possible. Letting her see him like this, his 'little Hyourinmaru' at half-mast, just could not end well for him. He pulled his shirt on and finally settled to read a book. Something he'd picked up in the gift shop called _Duma Key_, by some man named Stephen King. So far it had proven interesting. And just the thing to settle him down.

She emerged from her shower with the towel around her hair and a sleeveless dress. It was a pretty shade of pink, and as everything she wore, accentuated her curves nicely. Hitsugaya almost stared long enough to cause his hard work to be wasted. He realized this quickly enough, though, and was able to pry his eyes away from her. Another fifteen minutes and she was ready, her still damp hair pulled up into a loose sort of updo.

They dined at a nice restaurant, some Italian place. They didn't have trouble with the utensils, but both agreed they looked silly holding a fork instead of chopsticks. Of course, had there not been three forks, two spoons, and two knives, they may have felt differently. Whether it was good or bad Hitsugaya couldn't decide, but they had a male waiter who Matsumoto flirted shamelessly with to gain free dessert and a free glass of wine for them both. Hitsugaya didn't mind the dessert part but he was wary of the wine. He didn't drink to begin with, a bad experience at the academy having put an end to that early on, and he looked with trepidation to the glass of red liquid placed before him.

It was the color of blood, but definitely smelled of alcohol. Matsumoto was quick to try it, as she was far from new to the world of alcohol. Hyourinmaru once again coaxed Hitsugaya into living a little, and Hitsugaya took a few cautious sips of the liquid. He found that it was actually enjoyable, and didn't burn like sake did. Instead, it was rather smooth, and really did compliment the meal well.

It was when Matsumoto talked the waiter into the champagne that the trouble began. She was quite taken with "the bubbly" and downed three glasses quickly. She forced some into Hitsugaya's hands and to his lips. He opened his mouth to argue but instead met the cool liquid pouring down his throat. Though the experience put Matsumoto in for three weeks worth of paperwork, he found he enjoyed the taste of this drink, too.

When they left the restaurant, another bottle of the stuff in Matsumoto's hands, both were feeling quite buzzed. They retreated to their room temporarily to leave the bottle on ice then proceeded out into the streets of Vegas once again.

At least this time Hitsugaya was able to just go into the casino. Neither he nor Matsumoto could say they'd ever been, but the sights and sounds were an experience worth having. The floor was lined with machines and tables, people occupying available spaces on most of them. They spent their first two hours there looking at the decorations and wandering the three floors it encompassed. Matsumoto convinced Hitsugaya to give her some cash to play a few games.

They stumbled on a theatre room, a banner displaying the name of a live show above the door.

"Ooh, let's go watch that, Taicho," Matsumoto cooed, eager to see something exciting like that.

Hitsugaya reluctantly agreed, but found the show to be quite enjoyable. The displays and sets on stage were beautifully crafted (something Yumichika would have been drooling over), the costumes were gorgeous, the women more so. At least until Matsumoto started pouting because they 'were prettier.'

"Obviously they're prettier than me. You wouldn't be looking at them like that if they weren't," she whined.

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "I never said that. And just how am I looking at them?"

"Like a lecher." Her simple response made him laugh aloud, disturbing the people in the immediate area.

Hitsugaya blocked out her moans and groans for the remainder of the show. It was becoming late when the show ended, though they decided to take a walk around the area to see the sights. They came across several strange and fascinatingly shaped buildings, a few outdoor shows still running, and any kind of street vendor you could imagine.

"Taicho, I'm getting sleepy and it's getting cold out here. Can we go back to our room now?" Matsumoto asked, voice soft and sounding as tired as Hitsugaya felt.

He quickly agreed and they found their way back. Amazingly they were a mere two blocks away from the hotel and it turned out to be a short walk. Hitsugaya was the first in the bathroom and was out in five minutes, dressed only in loose fitting sleep pants. He relaxed on the bed, half covered up, reading his book. This Stephen King man knew how to write horror. It was creeping a death god out. Matsumoto wandered back into the room, crawling beneath the cover of the bed. This time she had the decency to appear in shorts and a tank, though Hitsugaya thought it looked as though she'd forgone the bra for the night. He figured he would, too, were he in her position.

The queen of paperwork skirting and napping was asleep in minutes. Hitsugaya continued reading, getting into some detail about paintings in the book. He felt Matsumoto shifting in her sleep and wasn't surprised when she curled up next to him. In her sleep, at least he hoped, she draped an arm over him, his inclined position causing her hand to land near a very sensitive spot. He inhaled sharply, fearing the worst. After a few nervous minutes he was able to return to his book as her hand found a lower resting place on his legs.

Finally giving in to unconsciousness, he lay the book, page marked, on the bedside table. He snuggled into the cover a little, the air conditioning unit making it quite cool in the room even for him. He was half asleep when Matsumoto 'attacked.'

Matsumoto squirmed around in the bed some, readjusting her position. He was lying on his back and she decided she liked his chest for a pillow quite well. Her hands strayed until one found his member, and rested lightly on it. He tried to focus on anything but that, hoping she'd move again in a moment. He thought about clouds, puppies, hollow bashing, fighting Zaraki, anything he could to keep his mind occupied. It almost worked until she started mumbling in her sleep.

"Mmm, pretty kitty. Good Haineko," Hitsugaya barely caught the words. She started moving her hand over him, rubbing him lightly. Hitsugaya cursed hormones every which way but up, while Hyourinmaru jokingly threatened to leave him should he move or object. Damned perverted dragon. "Haineko, you're so soft and warm."

He hardly thought you could describe it as soft. At least not now. Warm, definitely. The only soft would have been the material of his pajama bottoms. She continued rubbing him, each pass slightly more firm. In a short time she had him at full attention, and he was such a mess of hormonal teenager enjoying the feeling that he'd have jumped from the hotel they were in if she promised to keep doing what she was doing. He had to do something to stop this, though. He couldn't just take advantage of her like this. Even if he had no doubt she wouldn't think twice about it working the other way around.

He tried to move her off of him, but she only put more force on his chest, snuggling into her new pillow tighter. He tried to turn over, to discourage her from continuing, but that didn't work either. He put his hands over hers to stop their movement, but she batted his hands away and resumed her ministrations. He thought about waking her, but he didn't know if that would result in more humiliation or not. No doubt she'd have a good laugh.

"Hai-kitty, you're so sweet. You love to be stroked like this, don't you?" Matsumoto mumbled. Hitsugaya felt like crying. She wasn't rubbing too fast, but she was rubbing hard. He was quickly coming to climax, unable to control his body. All it took was the touch of a woman's soft hand and he was gone. She picked up the pace of her 'petting Haineko,' still stroking just as firmly.

He finally gave in. He couldn't escape, so he just gave up. And that… Oh, when she wrapped her fingers around him and squeezed like that… She stroked a final few times and he bit his cheek to keep from crying out. He could feel his release dampening the material of his sleep pants. He again tried to move her hand, to keep any more humiliation from occurring, and this time she complied.

Hitsugaya was able to wiggle out of her grip. He grabbed a fresh set of clothes from his luggage and changed in the restroom. He waited a few minutes before returning, hoping he was essentially worn out for the night, in case she tried that number again. He really should have just frozen her. But, he was a slave to the hormones. He wondered if that was why Kyoraku and Ukitake were such playboys in their prime. It was the only logical explanation.

When he went back to the bed he lay only under the blanket, hoping the sheet separating them would work. Beyond a still sleeping and pouting Matsumoto it seemed to.

He woke first the next morning. Or, rather, the next afternoon. It was just after the noon hour when he rose. He thanked his lucky stars he was the first to wake, not that he would have expected otherwise. He was fully dressed and ready for the day when he called for Matsumoto to wake up as well.

She cracked one eye open, looking around. She spotted him sitting in a chair and smiled brightly. With that smile he decided she knew what she'd done last night, and she'd meant to.

Matsumoto could not place what could have happened during the night to make Hitsugaya stay at least five feet out of her reach. Her clothes were still in place when she woke, so it couldn't have been anything of that nature. It didn't appear that she'd hit him or anything. Maybe she snored? She knew her breaths were audible, but she wasn't aware of any snoring issues. Did she say something in her sleep? She vaguely recalled a dream about Haineko, but that was all she could remember.

She dressed quickly, pulling her hair again into a loose updo. He seemed to like it like that. She put on her best behavior as they set out for the day. Their first stop was a mall just a few blocks down the street from their hotel. She shopped around, looking for clothing and whatnot for herself, keeping an eye open for anything that struck her interest that she thought he would enjoy. He waited outside the shops, barely chancing to speak to her. She asked for help carrying a few of the bags and he complied wordlessly. He handed her the money they'd allowed for the day without argument. Something was wrong, and she had no idea what to do about it.

She chanced across a store selling Asian themed paraphernalia, with dragons being a dominant theme. She wandered around inside, whilst he waited outside the shop, guarding her purchases. She had not bought much for the three hours they'd been in the mall, but he offered to watch her things while she was shopping. She wondered why he didn't stay in the room if he was going to be so sullen all day.

As she cast her gaze about the shop she noticed some incense burners. She stumbled across one similar to the shikai of Hyourinmaru. Matsumoto decided to purchase it and a half-year's supply of incense guaranteed to help you relax. The boy definitely needed to learn to relax. He had almost completely let himself enjoy life the day prior, but something happened between. Maybe a small gift would get him to tell her what she'd done, at the least.

She emerged from the shop with her gift wrapped and ready to go. She found Hitsugaya sitting on the same bench she left him on. "Taicho!" she called happily. A few heads of passersby turned their direction, looking curiously to them. "Are you hungry? I'm starved. Why don't we take this back to our room and then get something to eat?"

Hitsugaya nodded to her suggestion, expression clearly showing he was brooding over something. "I have something special for you, but you have to wait until later to have it," she chirruped as they walked back to their hotel. He again nodded, though it was accompanied by a sigh. Matsumoto wanted to ask him what was troubling him so, but she was afraid he would lash out at her. They deposited their belongings and he waited, seemingly patiently, while she changed into one of her new outfits.

They dined out, this time eating Mexican cuisine. Matsumoto stuffed herself so full of chips and salsa that she barely had the chance to taste the rest of her food. She preferred this restaurant to the one they'd eaten Italian food in. It had only one fork, one spoon, and one knife. She was munching on a bite of her enchilada when something across the street caught her eye. It was a building decorated in pretty pastel colors, small Christmas-type lights lining the pathways. It was just barely evening, but the display seemed absolutely magical. There was a sign declaring the building's purpose, but the position made it impossible for her to read.

After they paid the tab at the little Mexican joint, she decided she wanted to know more about the enchanting building. Hitsugaya followed along behind her, still saying as little as he could get away with. When Matsumoto and Hitsugaya drew close enough to the building to read the sign, it gave her pause.

"Wedding chapel?" she looked curiously at the sign and the building, the effects of wielding the ash cat obvious. The doors to the chapel were opened, revealing a ceremony taking place inside. She stepped close enough to see what it entailed, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Hitsugaya stood waiting at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for her. He had no reason to be here, but she seemed to have been drawn to the place. It was decorated prettily for a wedding. He watched Matsumoto take a few steps closer to the building to get a better view of the goings on inside. When she froze in place for too long he knew something was wrong.

"Matsumoto?" he called softly to her.

"Hai, Taicho?" she gave a weak response. She must have sensed his next question because she answered it before he asked. "I'm alright. Well, I will be. In just a moment."

Was she crying? Hitsugaya knew something was terribly out of order. He quickly walked to her, forgoing his earlier unhappiness, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Matsumoto, what's wrong?" he implored.

She quickly gathered her bearings about her and dried her silent tears. She wiped at her face as she responded. "Nothing, Taicho. I'm okay."

"Matsumoto, a person, especially like you, does not just break down in the middle of walking to start crying. Tell me what's bothering you before I have to make it an order," Hitsugaya demanded.

"Honest, Taicho. It was just a silly thought that I got carried away with. I'm okay now. You said you wanted to see another show after we left the one last night. Why don't we go and find something to watch?" she tried to conceal her discomfort and pull herself together quickly.

Hitsugaya was easily frustrated, but no one knew how to push those buttons like Matsumoto. "Damn it all, woman. Why can't you ever just tell me when something is wrong?"

"I do. It's always something I've screwed up on a mission, or someone I let do something I shouldn't have. You always take care of those things for me," she replied, defensive.

"Not that. Matsumoto, why can't you trust me enough to tell me when something is wrong with you?" he was practically shouting.

She countered his yells with her voice equally raised. "Do you even care? You can't be bothered to let me know when you're upset, but I should be expected to run crying to you every time someone calls me a name or I hear a new rumor about myself?" she paused for breath before berating him again. "I don't know what happened last night, I don't remember at all doing anything, but, I must have. You've been clammed up all day and refusing to speak to me. I know you're upset, obviously with me, but I don't know why so I can't apologize." A few people across the street looked on, wondering what the fuss was about, since they didn't understand Japanese.

Matsumoto turned angrily away from Hitsugaya and began walking furiously in the direction of their hotel. He ran after her, knowing if he did otherwise he'd lose his best friend forever.

"Matsumoto, wait!" he called, wondering what sort of hole he'd dug for himself this time. It wasn't often that she was angry with him, but when she was, the world knew it. When angry, she was the most terrifying thing he'd ever come across.

She paused long enough to let him speak. "Matsumoto, do you really not know what happened last night?" he asked, wondering if he'd been such an ass because of a false presumption. From the tone of her answer he knew he'd been.

"I really don't know. The last I recall, I was lying beside you on the bed and you were reading a book. Then, when I woke up this morning you were giving me a strange look. As I said before, if something happened I don't remember it." She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Matsumoto, I'm sorry," he replied.

She spoke softly, telling him, "If you decide you'd like to talk through this you can find me in the hotel." With that she left a stunned Hitsugaya behind in a flash of shunpo.

He decided to wait a bit before going to find her, to allow her time to cool down. He knew she was right, and he hated the fact that he'd let his pride get the better of him. She was the single most important person in his life, and he couldn't let some stupid spat ruin their friendship. While he was wandering the streets, his cell phone alerted him to a hollow near his position. He killed it solely to relieve some of the stress.

She waited in their hotel room, crying angry tears. She'd decided to try to get him to live a little while they were here. They'd seen all of two hollows since their initial mission, one of those being the one he must have just dispatched. She waited a beat when her phone went off, and seconds later the signal disappeared.

She finally calmed down and gathered her thoughts. No doubt about it, the 'boy' no longer was. He'd acted so much like every man she'd ever known, with precious few exceptions. She guessed that was only because the more mature were old enough to know better.

She sat on the bed, knees drawn to her chest and head resting on her arms crossed over her knees. She tried desperately to think of anything that could have happened. She didn't recall anything after falling asleep. She knew she was a cuddler, Gin had always complained about that. She understood why now. But the cuddling up to whatever was handy was something she'd tried and continually failed to control. She'd never been made aware of the fact if she did indeed snore. She hardly thought that was grounds for the silent treatment all day, though. She couldn't recall kissing or touching in anyway, beyond the cuddling thing.

And she barely recalled her dream of Haineko, much less what it was about.

He knocked lightly on the door before he opened it. She watched with cold eyes as he walked in. "Erm, Matsumoto?" he questioned.

"I'm listening," she responded, turning her gaze to the window.

"I… I'm sorry. I thought you knew… what happened. When you woke up and smiled like that, I was… sure you knew."

She returned her gaze to him, but refrained from speaking for a duration. "What happened, Taicho?"

He blushed profusely, skin pinking from head to chest, if not further. "Er, you were dreaming, and talking in your sleep. And, well, that… that wasn't Haineko you were trying to… to pet. I- I tried to get you to stop, to get away, bu- but I couldn't. And you…" he trailed off, too embarrassed to say more.

She looked shocked. He thought her eyes surely couldn't open wider. She blushed a pretty shade, too. "I'm sorry, Taicho. I'll sleep in a chair tonight, or perhaps they'll bring us a cot," she offered.

"No, you're fine. You keep the bed. I can find somewhere on the roof or the floor. I'd just need another blanket." They shared a look, agreeing to debate the question later.

An uneasy quiet settled on the occupants of the room. She returned to gazing out the window, while he sat facing away from her in a chair, reading. After what seemed an eternity, she spoke up, softly.

"I always wanted a wedding. Not long after I first met Gin, we happened across a wedding procession. It was lovely, even in the slums of Rukongai. I decided then I wanted to be a bride someday. The first time I told Gin, he told me we were too young. And he couldn't have been more correct. Each time I thought I'd have a chance at the one dream I held onto, something happened. He left again, or we were split up for some reason. And then, the last time he left… I barely held onto that shard of hope. I had to find someone else, someone new who'd be willing to make me a bride. Someone who would promise to love me and stay with me.

"I was so happy when we were assigned this mission. I could finally have one more chance at making someone realize they wanted to be with me. I hoped. I thought that… after a few days of just us, together like this, maybe… maybe something good would happen. Maybe I could have my chance at being a bride with the big, fancy wedding after all. But, seeing how happy that couple inside the chapel was today… I gave up on that long ago. I couldn't help but hope, though… I love you, Toshiro, and I'll always be by your side, no matter what. Even if you don't feel the same, I'll always be your friend."

Hitsugaya had simply been staring at the cover of his book, listening to Matsumoto's words. He heard her quiet sobs and was nearly moved to tears himself. The book fell to the floor with a quiet thud as he stood and took the few steps to the bed.

Matsumoto looked up to him, smiling ruefully. "I'll be okay, Taicho. I promise."

He embraced her firmly and kissed away the tears slowly traveling down her cheeks. "Matsu- Rangiku, I had no idea. All this time, I thought you were just playing with me, leading me on." He gently pushed her from her sitting position to lie on the bed. He hovered atop her, continuing to kiss away the stray tears. He pressed his lips to hers, hoping he was doing something right. He must have been because she began to respond almost immediately, slipping her tongue into his mouth, tasting, teasing, battling for dominance.

He dated Hinamori for a bit, but kissing her always felt like kissing his sister. The spark of romance just wasn't there. Their relationship ended peacefully shortly after it began, and they remained close friends. He hadn't learned much else, but she did teach him to kiss. Matsumoto wasn't complaining as they teased each other, battling for who got dominance of whose mouth. She began ghosting her hands along his sides, tugging teasingly at his shirt. He pulled away, breaking the kiss, and leaving Matsumoto pouting.

"You said you wanted to be a bride, right?" Hitsugaya asked, nerves obvious. Matsumoto nodded, smiling uncertainly as he took her hands in his, looking deep into her eyes. "Then, Matsumoto Rangiku, marry me. Let me make you the bride you always wanted to be. I promise to love you always and never leave you."

"Absolutely," she cooed in his ear before kissing him again. She released him, teasing, "We're not going to have the chance until tomorrow."

"So let's make the most of tonight. I have a favor to repay," well, maybe these hormones weren't so horrible after all. Thanks to their boost to his bravery, he wasn't blushing.

"Tai-," she began, but paused. She looked to him, eyes pleading for his understanding. "Toshiro, let me not commit this one sin. We've indulged in nearly every vice known here, let's not condemn ourselves completely, please?" she asked. Hitsugaya looked surprised and confused above all else.

"If that's what you want. Then we'll just remedy the situation tomorrow." He kissed her again, and they continued their petting until they settled into sleep, curled up with one another.

They'd committed every one of the "Seven Deadly Sins" in their time in Vegas. No wonder 'Sin City' fit so well. **Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride.** All of it, they were guilty of. They lusted for one another, they acted gluttonous in their alcohol and food intake. He guessed that greed fit hand in hand with lust and pride. They'd been overly not-productive, falling into the sin of sloth. Their angry outbursts with one another and with their captors during their jail stay definitely counted as wrath. She envied the show girls, he envied the men she flirted with. And pride… that went without explanation.

They rose relatively early next morning, dressing quickly and forgoing breakfast. It took minimal time to find a jeweler, and they were able to purchase their rings without needing them sized.

After hailing a cab and examining a few other available chapels, they settled for one similar to what initially caught Matsumoto's attention. They made it to the chapel in mid-afternoon. They leafed through a booklet trying to decide the theme, until each agreed on an elegant, classically inspired wedding. While they waited for the decorations to be set up, some of the chapel hosts helped them find their wedding attire.

Hitsugaya waited with the officiant, dressed in a black tux. The officiant, dressed very much like Hitsugaya, smiled amusedly at the expression the young taicho wore when Matsumoto entered and walked down the aisle.

He'd never seen beauty in such a true, pure form. Her dress was of ivory silks and lace. The corseted top and full, mid length skirt complimented her figure and personality perfectly. She wore no veil, and had her hair, bedecked with flowers, in the loose updo, perhaps a bit more carefully styled, that Hitsugaya loved. Her bouquet of daffodils, carnations, and roses complimented her gown, and seemed to force out the color in her blue eyes.

The ceremony passed quickly in a whir of words, vows, and flowers. They exchanged the rings they'd chosen, a solid gold band for Hitsugaya, engraved with the kanji for Matsumoto's name, and a single jade stone set in a gold band, Hitsugaya's name engraved inside, for her. They enjoyed a limo ride back to their hotel.

Hitsugaya, though shorter than Rangiku, had no trouble carrying her over the threshold of their room. He set her on her feet to remove his coat whilst she found the champagne from the night before and poured them both a glass. Being their wedding night, Hitsugaya agreed they were both entitled to a decent drink. No one could have guessed that Ichigo and Nel, and Rukia and Hanataro, had made the same decisions as Rangiku and Hitsugaya, at the same times. Strangely enough, it was Rangiku and Hitsugaya who acted under the influence of nothing.

Setting her drink to the side, Rangiku pulled Hitsugaya's tie loose and pulled it onto her own neck. She brought one leg up to hook around the back of his. He hoisted her up in his arms, carrying her to the bed. This time he intended to enjoy the pleasure she could give him.

As she was sitting on the edge of the bed, him standing between her legs, she began unbuttoning his shirt. She placed a soft kiss on the newly exposed flesh with every button. Lacking anything better to do with them, Hitsugaya kept his hands on Rangiku's sides, rubbing up and down lightly. She undid the last button and tugged the shirt off of him. It fell to the floor in a little whirl of wind.

Hitsugaya reached one of his arms around Rangiku, finding the zipper of her dress. He engaged her in a deep kiss, pulling softly to unzip her. When the zipper reached its end, Hitsugaya pushed Rangiku gently, causing her to lie flat on the bed. He eased the dress down her body, revealing her bare breasts. He stared in open admiration, massaging gently with his hands. A few quick strokes of his thumbs over her nipples made them peak. He smiled as he kissed each softly and teased them.

He liberated her nipples from his teasing to return to easing her dress off. It gathered at her waist and he placed kisses across her abdomen before tugging the garment over Rangiku's hips. She lifted herself slightly to help ease the removal of the dress. The dress pooled around her feet, still on the floor. Hitsugaya picked her up again and lay her away from the edge of the bed. He dropped to his hands and knees above her, hovering. She engaged him in a kiss, playing with him, stealing his breath.

With light touches, Rangiku ran her fingers beneath the waistband of Hitsugaya's pants. She only fumbled with the button and zip momentarily before she tugged the pants over his hips into a mess of fabric at his knees. He was in the process of kicking the pants to the floor but lost his train of thought when she grabbed him and started rubbing. She grinned into their half-kiss as he nearly froze.

Rangiku had him brought to full attention before she attempted the removal of his boxers. When she had him fully exposed, she stroked him teasingly, giving herself time to appreciate his size. Given his height, it would be difficult to expect him to be anywhere close to the size of a fully grown man. However, holding him in her hands, she wondered how anyone could mistake him for a boy again. She tugged softly at the white downs, the color clarifying any doubt she may have ever had. He hummed in pleasure as she continued touching him, teasingly, agonizingly slow and soft.

"Oh… Rangiku…" he moaned, kissing her neck. She relented her hold long enough for him to pull the lacy panties blocking the path to his proverbial goldmine from her. When the panties joined the dress and other garments in some location on the floor she resumed her teasing.

In retaliation, Hitsugaya placed a hand between her thighs, seeking the sensitive nub. Inexperienced he may have been, but he'd learned enough from books and garnered tips and tricks from passing males to know some of what to do. Rangiku allowed more room for his hand as she moved her legs further apart. She made little noises of pleasure, calling softly to him. Whilst he experimented with her clit, she continued rubbing his member.

She gasped in surprise when he pushed a finger inside her, and she squeezed his shaft harder than intended. With one hand she was stroking and with the other she was fondling. Until he adjusted to the combined sensations, he thought she might bring him to his first peak immediately. He continued hovering above her, rubbing and teasing her as she simultaneously fondled and stroked. He panted harder as he began to feel his climax build. Determined to make her come before him, he inserted a second finger, using the combination of his fingers inside her and thumb rubbing her nub to build her peak more quickly.

"God, Toshiro… where did you… learn that?" she asked, stunned that the young male was not as prudish as everyone thought him.

"Well now…" he panted out, giving a weak laugh, "that's supposed to be… a secret… Oh, god, Ran…"

She cried out, breaths quickening with each stroke of his thumb. When he set to teasing her nipples again, she climaxed in mere seconds. "Toshiro!" she called. He was certain their neighbors could hear, but he cared not. Pride was creeping back in, and he enjoyed being able to declare he was solely responsible for her screams.

She relented her hold on him while he forced her to ride out her climax. She was breathing so quickly when he finally withdrew his fingers she worried he was trying to kill her. In revenge for the precious torture inflicted upon her person, Rangiku resumed her prior ministrations with twice as much vigor. The effect sent Hitsugaya into a temporary state of paralysis and he burrowed his face between her breasts. He finally found himself enough to prop himself up, hovering above her again.

It took very little time to bring about his peak. "Ran, I'm… I'm coming…!" She watched his face as she gave one final squeeze. She decided she liked the expression. Hitsugaya was spilling over her abdomen. She sat up enough to take the tip in her mouth and take in the rest. When he felt her warm mouth suckling on him, Hitsugaya was sure he'd died and gone to heaven.

Rangiku allowed him time to recover before she demanded they continue. "Toshiro… I want you…" the perverted grin she wore matched his perfectly. They resumed some semblance of foreplay, kissing, sucking, biting, teasing one another's skin anywhere and everywhere.

As she engaged a kiss, she took it upon herself to bring him back round. In only seconds Hitsugaya was staring lustfully into Rangiku's eyes, intent on her pleasure and hers alone.

Sitting up a bit, Rangiku whispered into his ear, "Take me. I want you. Please, take me…" Using her tongue, she made a funny little motion behind his ear that sent shivers down his spine.

"Absolutely, Love." He could offer no further words as he gently forced her legs apart and waited momentarily, pressed against her core. She nodded and he slipped inside. They sank instantaneously into the dance of love making, meeting one another with each movement of hips. She knew she would never grow tired of this feeling, this being together. The feeling of him being inside her, moving with her, loving her. It was all she could have ever dreamt and more. That knowledge spurred her soft moans and cries of pleasure. The gentle hums.

Though not nearly as vocal, Hitsugaya called her name in response to her noises, encouraging the pleasure they were reveling in. She traced her fingers along his back, rubbing lazy circles. "Oh, Rangiku, don't stop," he begged, his perception of the feel of her fingers on his back and her warmth as she encompassed him pleasantly overwhelming. As they continued their dance, she left love marks along his neck and chest as he attempted to do the same.

"Toshiro… I- it's… oh… oh wow… oh yes!" Rangiku cried. Hitsugaya's thrusting was beginning to force her climax, and she anxiously awaited it. He plunged as deep and hard as he could, without causing either of them pain, a last time and pushed her over the edge. The spasms of her walls, tightening around him and pulsing, drew out his own climax, and he called out.

"Oh, Rangiku…! God, I love you…" She felt the flow of him inside her, mixing with her own fluids. She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle, enjoying the lazy feeling of their present union. He kissed her softly as he moved from her, she frowning lightly into their kiss. "Really, Rangiku," Hitsugaya smirked, "we can do that again later. We can't stay like that forever. Think of the embarrassment we'd suffer at work…" She giggled, swatting playfully at one of his hands straying and rubbing at the flesh of her middle.

"Will you bathe with me?" Rangiku looked to her lover, eyes gently questioning, voice curious.

"I don't think I can handle that again just yet… Give me another twenty minutes, though…" Hitsugaya quirked an eyebrow, wondering why she was suddenly wanting sex in the tub. Maybe if it were the next day it would make more sense…

She leveled her gaze, looking at him like he'd lost too many brain cells when he was screaming her name. "I know that. I just want to bathe together." He wore an expression on his face clearly stating he should have guessed that.

They retreated into the bathroom where the steamy air and hot water relaxed them, lulling them both into a fuzzy state of near unconsciousness. Afraid she might fall asleep in the tub, Rangiku stood and wrapped a towel around her frame. Hitsugaya admired the prize that he could, and would, forever claim as his.

They barely shared a goodnight kiss in bed before both sank into unconsciousness. This time, Hitsugaya would just take advantage of her dreams, if it came to that.

The next morning she woke him with a soft kiss. When he cracked open one wary eye, the brightness of her smile had him threatening to close it again. After ordering breakfast, they sat cuddled together debating on what clothes to wear. Rangiku wanted him in her favorite black shirt, while he wanted nothing to do with it. It was too hot for black. He finally grudgingly agreed, on the grounds that she had to wear the new yellow dress she'd purchased.

During a lull in the conversation, Hitsugaya let his mind wander. They needed to get in touch with the others, to check in. Which led him to their shinigami duties.

"Rangiku," he broached the subject, "What… no, how are we going to tell everyone?"

She looked confusedly to him. "How are we going to tell everyone why you agreed to wear that shirt? I don't understand."

Hitsugaya smiled and chuckled softly. "No, I mean… how do we tell everyone that we 'went and got married'?"

"Oh. I… don't know. There aren't any rules against it… But, we could keep it on the down low for a while, if you think we should. I'm not pregnant or anything, so they won't actually know unless we tell them, now will they?"

She thought her pills were working. If they weren't, she was going to cut the fourth division member who gave them to her into a million tiny, smoldering pieces. Not that she wouldn't deal with the consequences responsibly, just that she'd kill the fool who screwed things up.

"You know, Toshiro, we could have a party to celebrate. Then we'd get all kinds of gifts…"


	7. Final Interrogation

_**A/N:** Though I can't say I'm incredibly happy with the end, I will say that the HitsuMatsu story is my favorite thing to have written. Ever. 8-) _

_But, I bring you the epilogue! Please read and review!  
-Rachel Noelle_

* * *

"That was certainly… sweet," Ukitake began. "Even if it was a bit… unethical."

Shunsui nodded in agreement. "A job most excellently done. And all while sober. Juu-kun, our little protégé here has grown up… and… taken… ad-ad-advantage… of all the… g-g-gifts… we set… before him!" Shunsui sobbed on Nanao's shoulder, soaking her clothing (thankfully black) with his tears. As Shunsui spoke, Ukitake began sobbing, too, clutching onto Soifon for dear life.

"He's right!" Ukitake wailed. Soifon patted him awkwardly. If her crying was unusual, his was just flat out too weird to name. "It's like my own little boy's all grown up now… and… and he's… married!"

Soifon and Nanao stepped into a corner of the room with their respective crybabies, trying to console the men.

"Ah… Kira-kun!" Hinamori called, looking for said person still sitting with the cooing group of shinigami. He looked immediately to her, eyes brightening. "I want to get married, too! Just like that!"

Kira fainted, and Hinamori took him to the fourth to find someone to help.

"Che. Least ya'll got inta some real trouble, had some real fun," commented Zaraki.

"It is such a very romantic story, Ken dear," Unohana cooed, making Zaraki blush with the fierce look in her eyes.

"Oh no ya don't. I a'ready married ya once, I ain't doin' it again," Zaraki stumbled through his words, quivering under his wife's stare.

"Just a second honeymoon, Ken dear," Unohana pleaded.

Zaraki sighed. "A'right, fine." In these battles, he knew it was better to give up while still ahead. There were many worse fates than death.

The rest of the Gotei 13 had never seen Unohana smile so brightly.

"This brings me to my final question. What do you all intend to do with your respective situations?" Yamamoto thundered again. He was trying to keep his voice down, really.

"Sir, if I may?" Unohana spoke up again. Yamamoto nodded, granting her permission. "Our three new mothers-to-be will be placed on mandatory leave of physical duties after you have each reached your second trimester." Rangiku grimaced. No physical work meant she'd be doing the paperwork. "I cannot allow damage to an unborn innocent like that. Furthermore, though you each have agreed to take responsibility and raise your respective children, the member of my squad has been dealt with accordingly for handing out faulty pills. Also, the twelfth division has been reprimanded properly for creating defective material."

Rangiku had her hand firmly gripping the hilt of Haineko. "That means that you should not take matters into your own hands, Rangiku-san," Unohana smiled sympathetically to the younger woman.

"Furthermore, Hanataro is our obstetrics specialist, but Isane and I will be assisting, as, if the three children are due on the same day, I can't have the father of one not assisting his wife."

"And what of the living situations?" Komamura inquired, his curiosity boiling over.

"Erm, well, sir, Hanataro and I have discussed things with Nii-sama, and until further notice we will be residing in the Kuchiki mansion. There's the perfect room just down the hall from mine for a nursery," Rukia explained. Hanataro nodded nervously beside her. Byakuya actually cracked the smallest hint of a smile. Renji noticed and ran quickly to the other side of the room, cowering behind Hisagi. "When we have established ourselves properly, we may look further into a home of our own."

"I would like to act as obstetrician to my wife, Unohana taicho," Hanataro bowed, not needing the formal announcement, but trying to impress his new brother-in-law.

"But of course, Kuchiki-kun." Byakuya grimaced. Yachiru laughed and kissed him, telling him she thought it would be a good idea for him to take her name just the same. Unohana stood alert, waiting for when that sank in and Byakuya fainted. He held his ground until the meeting was over, but not a moment longer.

"You could always just hyphenate." Someone suggested. No one recognized if it was Ukitake or Shunsui.

"And for you?" Ukitake finally recovered enough to return to the group, and looked pointedly to Ichigo and Nel.

"He's moving in with me, and Dad promised to help us redecorate," Nel chimed, looking quite proud. Her new father-in-law was overjoyed with the news that his son decided to marry, though disappointed that he wasn't invited to the wedding. As Karin said, Isshin was just happy because it meant if Ichigo was getting laid, he'd eventually have grandkids. Well, he had one on the way.

"Erm, yeah. I figured we probably wouldn't be as well off in the living world. So…" Ichigo trailed off, unsure how to proceed or if the need existed.

"I see," Yamamoto spoke again. This turned out to be quite the meeting, indeed. "I will petition for a building and expansion permit, then. And I assume you will be doing the same, Hitsugaya taicho, fukutaicho?"

"Actually, sir," Rangiku smiled, "since our rooms are next door to one another, we were wondering if we could knock down a few walls, and just expand the tenth division taicho quarters."

Yamamoto nodded sagely. "I see no problem with that. I will have to petition for a building permit, though."

"Since we won't need the extra kitchen, we were thinking that we'd like to have it added to the office, as well," Hitsugaya interjected. "Seeing as the office is adjacent to the living quarters."

Again, Yamamoto nodded sagely, agreeing.

For the next just over seven and a half months, the tenth division was such a relaxed and easygoing division that it put the eighth to shame. During Rangiku's maternity leave, things were a bit less relaxed, but when she returned, all smiles and laughter, the division returned to its new norm. As long as the taicho was getting laid, it was a great place to be.

The fourth division had never had so much to be proud and excited about. Two of their members were going to be parents, and everyone wanted to help in some way or another. Even the eleventh division began to treat them with some measure of respect. That may have been due in part to Unohana's threats to Zaraki, declaring that she'd drop the hyphenation and divorce him. As with the tenth division, if Zaraki was getting laid, the eleventh was a great place to be. They even managed to take in a few women, aside from Yachiru, when they relaxed.

Hanataro was the most envied man in the fourth, sixth, and thirteenth divisions. Not only did he prove to everyone that he was capable of finding a wife, but he had taken the most desired female member among the three divisions.

Hitsugaya and Ichigo were equally envied, and the most envied men in the entirety of Soul Society, and once had to battle a horde of jealous men just to make it back into Seireitei. Neither left into the streets of Rukongai again without his respective wife by his side.

The sixth division, with the announcement of Byakuya's nephew-to-be, became a much more relaxed place to be. It never even stepped onto the same scale as the eighth, much less the tenth, but Byakuya suddenly became a much happier person. He was easy to talk with, and his subordinates no longer feared his punishments. Of course, everyone wondered when he and Yachiru would tie the knot and try for a family of their own. No one realized it was simply waiting on Byakuya to gather the courage to ask Zaraki for Yachiru's hand.

Ichigo took up permanent residency in Seireitei with Nel. With their building permit they added two bedrooms and a bath, as well as a small expansion to their kitchen and dining areas. Isshin returned to Seireitei part-time and assumed joint-taicho duties of the third division with Ichigo until Yamamoto's retirement, when Ukitake would take over the position of soutaicho and the void left would need to be filled. There was no prouder grandpa ever seen in Soul Society. The third division assumed a lax atmosphere as well, and rivaled the eighth. Still no one could out-relax the tenth. Not that Shunsui didn't try. It seemed the 'getting laid' thing only really worked for males. It didn't change Nanao's demeanor much.

Karin and Yuzu finally petitioned, via Ichigo and Nel, the Central 46 to be allowed residency in Seireitei, by whatever means necessary. They did this simply to lower the cost of their monthly phone bill. Luckily, neither had significant others when the transition happened. Ikkaku and Hisagi were immediately taken to Karin and Yuzu, respectively. It was one hell of a battle for both of them, having to take Ichigo and Isshin on simultaneously, and alone, but they were two battles Soul Society would forever speak of. They were nearly as much anticipated as the battle that never happened between Zaraki and Byakuya.

When Byakuya finally decided to ask Zaraki, the man threw a party. It was the biggest letdown anyone could ever recall.

Many of the new recruits from the academy wanted to be a part of the tenth division after seeing such an adorable little boy leading it and walking around with a beautiful woman, clearly well along in her pregnancy. When it became the woman walking alongside the young boy, the boy with a baby girl in his arms, cooing over how precious she was, the number of women in the division increased four times. Rangiku was unhappy with this, as it offered more competition. Not that anyone stood a real chance, but she had to beat them away with their stupid excuses for needing to see the taicho urgently.

This worked, though not nearly as drastically, for the fourth and third divisions as well. Of course, they all knew things would relax with the tenth division's increase when Hitsugaya Ai was old enough to date. That date had yet to come. Central 46 conducted research on all potential suitors, trying to decide how many shinigami they would have to replace. May as well start gathering resources while they could.

Yumichika, Hinamori, Isane, Kiyone, Unohana, Yachiru, the remaining members of the SWA, including Soifon, Isshin, Ikkaku and Karin, Yuzu and Hisagi, and Renji offered to baby-sit at any time. It was Hitsugaya, who after two months of no sex, demanded Rangiku find someone to care for Ai for the afternoon. At least this time it seemed her pills were going to work. If anyone were to have more children, it would definitely be the precocious Hitsugaya.

oOoOo

The next May, two boys and one little girl came into the world. Each birth was three days apart.

It was obvious, after only a year, that young Hitsugaya Ai would be like her mother in every respect, the looks being only the beginning. Even as a tot, being the eldest of the three, she knew how to break hearts and heal them just as well as Rangiku.

The betting pool was whether she would end up with the Kurosaki boy, Kenji, or the Kuchiki boy, Tarou. Which would woo her first? Or, if she would end up unable to choose, with two husbands. No one speculated any objection. Well, except for from her father.


End file.
